School has started, and the air has turned to that crisp Fall weather that I love! My thoughts have turned to the holidays, and I can’t help but think about all the traditions I love. There’s back to school shopping for clothes and supplies, quickly followed by some family birthdays, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. All these occasions are packed with tradition.
Birthdays! What a fun time to celebrate the one you love. In our house it is a time for that person to have their favorite things- especially the picking of food. My children love to pick what they will eat on their birthday- this ensures that Mom won’t make anything gross. Inevitably the breakfast choice is waffles and ice cream - unhealthy? of course! Yummy? Absolutely!!
Then out come the ghosts, goblins, witches, cauldrons, and bats. And with it comes trips to Vala’s, themed costume parties, with bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, and candy bags.
Traditions go on and on through the season with turkey dinners and pumpkins pie, then we pull out the Christmas decor red & green. There’re trees, tinsel, and lights galore.
But there is more to these traditions than just fun. Experts are seeing that traditions are important and provide many benefits. Here are just seven:
- Tradition contributes a sense of comfort and belonging. It brings families together and enables people to reconnect with friends.
- Tradition reinforces values such as freedom, faith, integrity, a good education, personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and the value of being selfless.
- Tradition provides a forum to showcase role models and celebrate the things that really matter in life.
- Tradition offers a chance to say “thank you” for the contribution that someone has made.
- Tradition enables us to showcase the principles of our Founding Fathers, celebrate diversity, and unite as a country.
- Tradition serves as an avenue for creating lasting memories for our families and friends.
- Tradition offers an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection.
“Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something, steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world.”—Susan Lieberman (https://redtri.com/why-traditions-are-worth-keeping/)
If you find yourself coming up short on traditions try turning to Google, or a personal favorite is the Holiday Book: January Through December by Jill Connelly. Above all, don’t be afraid to be silly and try something new. My mother jokes that she always knew when she had a good idea, because we (her children) would ask to do it again and proclaim, “but it’s tradition!”
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
